J vs. WM: Jacobs vs. Waste Management Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM) both fall under the Commercial & Professional Services industry group, but J is classified in Professional Services while WM is classified in Commercial Services & Supplies.

Company profile comparison for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM)
Profile Item	J	WM
Name	Jacobs Solutions Inc.	Waste Management Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Commercial & Professional Services	Commercial & Professional Services
GICS Industry	Professional Services	Commercial Services & Supplies
GICS Sub-Industry	Research & Consulting Services	Environmental & Facilities Services
Market Capitalization	17.43 billion USD	93.95 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	June 22, 1988
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GSPC

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	J	WM
Total Return (1Y)	3.06%	19.43%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	13.63%	13.45%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	6.41%	9.97%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GSPC

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	J	WM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	34.18%	21.31%
Beta (5Y)	0.68	0.37
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-34.44%	-18.14%
Avg. Volume (3M)	878.62K	2.24M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

J and WM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	J	WM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.04	0.71
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.05	1.07

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Waste Management (WM) at 31.68% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Jacobs (J) at 8.00% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for WM.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

8.00%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
J: 8.00%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

31.68%

Max: 47.06%
WM: 31.68%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their ROE against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Waste Management (WM) at 11.78% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Jacobs (J) at 2.38%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.38%

Max: 23.28%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
J: 2.38%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

11.78%

Max: 23.28%
WM: 11.78%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Waste Management (WM) at 19.08% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Jacobs (J) at 7.39%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

7.39%

Max: 38.50%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
J: 7.39%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

19.08%

Max: 38.50%
WM: 19.08%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	J	WM
ROE (TTM)	8.00%	31.68%
ROA (TTM)	4.55%	6.69%
Net Margin (TTM)	2.38%	11.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	7.39%	19.08%
Gross Margin (TTM)	22.07%	40.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Waste Management (WM) at 14.24% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Jacobs (J) at 4.60% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for WM.

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Waste Management (WM) at -1.62% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Jacobs (J) at -62.34% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	J	WM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.60%	14.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.13%	8.56%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-62.34%	-1.62%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-21.82%	7.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Jacobs (J) at 1.29 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Waste Management (WM) at 0.82 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WM.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.29

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
J: 1.29
Q1: 1.09
Min: 0.45

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.82

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
Q1: 1.09
WM: 0.82
Min: 0.45

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Jacobs (J) at 1.25 and Waste Management (WM) at 2.37 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.25

Max: 2.37
J: 1.25
Q3: 1.25
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.37

WM: 2.37
Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	J	WM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.29	0.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.25	2.37
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.72	2.94

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Jacobs (J) at 0.92% and Waste Management (WM) at 1.52% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.92%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
J: 0.92%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.52%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
WM: 1.52%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Jacobs (J) at 45.18% and Waste Management (WM) at 48.03% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

45.18%

Max: 99.58%
J: 45.18%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

48.03%

Max: 99.58%
WM: 48.03%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	J	WM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.92%	1.52%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	45.18%	48.03%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Waste Management (WM) at 31.01 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Jacobs (J) at 49.47 sits in the richer quartile — J needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

49.47

J: 49.47
Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

31.01

Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
WM: 31.01
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Jacobs (J) at 1.23 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Waste Management (WM) at 3.60 sits in the pricier quartile — WM costs more per dollar of sales.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.23

Max: 7.17
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
J: 1.23
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

3.60

Max: 7.17
WM: 3.60
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Jacobs (J) at 5.34 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Waste Management (WM) at 9.52 carries an above-peer premium to book — WM is pricier on assets.

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

5.34

Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
J: 5.34
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

9.52

Max: 11.25
WM: 9.52
Q3: 6.08
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

Jacobs (J) vs. Waste Management (WM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Jacobs (J) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	J	WM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	49.47	31.01
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.23	3.60
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.34	9.52
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.71%	2.64%